R Ashwin terms Sunil Gavaskar’s previous criticism on Team India’s selection policy as ‘childish thinking’

India took a significant gamble during the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2023, which did not yield favorable results. They decided to rule out Ravichandran Ashwin, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler and their leading wicket-taker for the WTC 2021-23 cycle, out of contention. Legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar strongly criticized the decision and expressed his shock at the unfair treatment in his column for Mid-Day. This was not the first time that Gavaskar made a strong pitch for Ashwin’s inclusion in the Test team.

The Legend Of R Ashwin Grows _

– Made non-strikers run out cool
– Took the lead in retired out
– 2 reviews in one ball _
– off spin bowling
– Throw Carrom Ball
– Bowls Leg Spin
– Stops the action and plays mind games during the run-up
– opens the batting
– at bat #3_ pic.twitter.com/L6A37qaLm9

— Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog (@cricket_broken) June 15, 2023

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In a 2020 column for Sportstar, Sunil Gavaskar passionately expressed his opinion, stating that Ashwin often gets sidelined when he does poorly in a game. In contrast, established batsmen get more chances even if their performance is below expectations.

“For too long, Ashwin has faced consequences not because of any doubts about his bowling ability, which would simply question unfairness, but because of his outspokenness and voicing his views in meetings where others would usually But agree even if they disagree. If Ashwin fails to take a ton of wickets in one game, he is almost always sidelined for the next one. However, this does not happen with established batsmen Gavaskar wrote. He said, “Indian cricket has such different rules. If you doubt me, ask Ravi Ashwin and T Natarajan.”

Almost three years later, Ashwin has finally responded to Gavaskar’s emotional comments. During an interview with Sportstar, the veteran off-spinner cryptically addressed Sunil Gavaskar’s criticism regarding Team India’s selection policy. Ashwin recalled his journey, starting as a batsman which saw a match between India and Sri Lanka where the bowlers were giving away a lot of runs. In view of this, he aspired to be an off-spinner, aiming to be a better bowler than those on the field. He mentioned that when he finally retired, he would regret that he had not become a better batsman, instead choosing to bowl.

“This is a true story, not something fabricated. One day, I was watching an India-Sri Lanka game, and India’s bowling was in disarray. Sachin Tendulkar was my favorite player, and whatever runs he scored, our bowlers leaked them. Will do it.” I started thinking – can I be a bowler someday? Can I be better than the current bowlers? It sounds childish, but I thought so and so I started bowling off-spin. That’s where it all started,” he explained.

“However, when I finally retire, my first regret will be of not being a better batsman. I should not have become a bowler. It is something I constantly struggle with, but there are different standards for bowlers and batsmen. are, and they are treated differently.” I understand it’s a ball game for a batsman and he needs opportunities.”